Hey there! Are you craving a tasty, healthy meal but don’t have much time to spare? Look no further than my creamy butter beans and mushrooms recipe! Not only is this dish packed with flavor, but it’s also super nutritious. Best of all, this dish comes together in under 20 minutes.
I’ve been seeing that butter beans are having a bit of a moment! They are really just large lima beans. They’re called butter beans in the southern United States and in the United Kingdom. In other parts of the U.S., they are known as lima beans, named after Lima, Peru, where the bean originates. Their growing popularity might have something to do with how affordable and protein-packed they are! With so many vegan meat substitutes hitting the shelves at record-high prices thanks to inflation, more and more plant-based people are opting for affordable, whole-food options. Beans are a natural protein powerhouse and are in every grocery store. I thought it was definitely time for a super accessible and quick meal idea, so I came up with this French-inspired creamy butter beans and mushrooms dish.
Cooking Method:
To whip up this dish, you’ll need some spinach, cashew cream, herbs de Provence, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and butter beans. We want to start by sautéing the mushrooms by themselves. Mushrooms contain a lot of moisture that we want to sweat out of them. A good olive oil is the move this time, and we need to saute those mushrooms for about 6 minutes, stirring throughout, until they’re juicy and browned. You might also notice that mushrooms reduce in size while cooking, thanks to the removed water content.
We need to remove the mushrooms to preserve their current texture, but using the same pan, we will saute the onion. Add the garlic after a couple of minutes and then the remainder of the ingredients except for the butter beans and cooked mushrooms.
Everyone knows the trope about how spinach cooks down so much, right? You add a giant amount of spinach, turn around, turn back, and see it’s wilted down to what looks like a few pieces! I’ll be honest: I even thought I was initially adding too much when developing this recipe. But it turned out I could have added even more! The written recipe below is accurate to the amount I used, and here is a photo of the spinach mountain to give you an idea.
Finishing touches:
Once we have our creamy sauce, we then add in the butter beans. This is because they are naturally very tender, and we don’t want to smush them with stirring to the point where they’re indistinguishable. We need to preserve that shape! Lastly, we add back in the sauteed mushrooms and, for presentation’s sake, tuck them in intentionally so we can still see that lovely color in the final dish. Sprinkle with more herbs de Provence, and top with vegan parmesan and fresh parsley if desired!
*recipe slightly modified 2/13/24
Protein-packed beans, sauteed mushrooms, and French flavors make up this creamy butter beans and mushrooms meal, ready in under 20! Serves 2 as main or 4 as side dish.
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Prep Time 3 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 18 minutes mins
Course Main Course, Main Dish, Side Dish
Ingredients
Creamy Butter Beans and Mushrooms
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 large onion halved and sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup cashew cream (see notes)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp bouillon (vegan, no-chicken preferred)
- 1-2 T low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos (start with 1 and add more if desired)
- 1 tsp herbs de Provence
- 6 oz. fresh baby spinach
- 1 can butter beans (unseasoned), drained
- salt to taste
Optional
- vegan parmesan
- fresh parsley
Instructions
In a medium pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and then add mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring as they release their water and brown. Remove and set aside but don't clean out the pan.
Add some more olive oil and saute the onion for 2 minutes until beginning to soften. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more.
Add the cashew cream, water, bouillon, soy sauce, and herbs de Provence and stir. Then add in spinach and cook down until spinach is reduced in size and wilted into the sauce.
Add drained butter beans to the pan and gently stir. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed and let simmer on medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Finally, add the mushrooms back in and top with more herbs de Provence and optional vegan parmesan and fresh parsley. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes!
Notes
**Cashew cream is easily made at home by blending raw cashews and water. You can adjust the thickness of the cream by reducing or increasing the amount of water. For this recipe, we do want a thicker consistency-- a cream rather than a milk. To achieve this, I usually add 1/2 cup cashews to 3/4 cup water and blend on high until creamy. (this takes about 2 minutes) Soaking cashews in hot water does help them blend better if you don't have a high-powered blender.
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